Two Irishwomen, Lady Eleanor Butler, whose brother was Earl of Ormonde, and Miss Sarah Ponsonby, a cousin of the Earl of Bessborough, pioneered a type of lesbian relationship in 18th century. After becoming close friends at school, when Miss Ponsonby was seventeen, and Lady E. Butler some twenty-one year-old, they had run away from their respective and respectable homes in Ireland.

But were brought back in disgrace and forbidden to communicate with each other in any way. Eventually, however, their relatives allowed them to live together and aven made provision for a small allowance. They settled in a cottage in the Vale of Llangollen in north Wales and, in consequencwe, became known as "The Ladies of Llangollen", as they were first called in the General Evening Post, in 1790. Sometimes also called "The Platonists," they became the two most celebrated virgins in Europe and were visited by a host of famous people, including Sir Walter Scott and the Duke of Wellington.

Letters and diaries of contemporary celebrities mention their romantic devotion. Their attachment to each other, that lasted more than 50 years, became proverbial. They lived at Llangolle, inseparable companions, for the rest of their lives. Lady Eleanor died in 1829, at the age of ninety; and Miss Ponsonby only survived her " beloved one " (as she always called her) by two years.